Any one know of a cheaper alternative to Copic markers?

[Sho_Shonojo]

Thanks for this information. For a $1.19. These definitely appear to be worth trying out.

[bickpen]

There's a new brand called Concept that's pretty comparable to Copics and loads cheaper. They have a chisel tip and a fine-point tip, so no brush, but otherwise are similar in quality. I have a set of neutral grey Copics and a set of warm grey Concepts and both work great. Concept stink a bit more though, haha. You can get them at Jerry's Artarama and on Amazon for sure, I haven't looked elsewhere.

[Luie]

I once splurged and bout a full set of Blick watercolor markers for 250. They're fairly cheaper than copic and I'm still very happy with them today.

I was also thinking, if you want to spend even less, buy a full set of prisma (or Blick) colored pencils and a watercolor colorless blender. Looks just as good as marker and you can play around with colors more.

If you want to go the greyscale route, you can use both options I stated above, but only purchase the greyscale packs.
You can also buy a few paintbrushes and India ink. You can do a lot with just these few things and it only costs around $10. Looks very professional imo and very fun to use!

Can do this sort of thing with them (Not mine)

Very crisp and clean, works well with micron.

[acostigan910]

I was looking for the cheapest place to buy copics and came across this question....
BayleeJae has a video on youtube that compares different brands to copic markers... including the prices. https://youtu.be/aXFkRD60Iis I found it very informative.

Also, I just found http://www.jerrysartarama.com/ price for copic sketch markers is currently $5.24 a marker. If you sign up for their emails or search the internet for their coupon code, they have one that you can get a 25% your order plus free shipping for orders over $59. That makes them $3.93 a marker... best price i have come across so far if you plan on spending $50 (you would need to purchase 12 markers for this coupon to apply bring your pretax total to 47.16)... and their copic ciaos regular price is $3.59 so you could get 17 of them... after coupon it would be $2.69 a marker. Not sure how long their coupon is good for... but may be something worth looking into.
Hope this helps someone !

[ToxicRamen]

Prismacolor Markers & Letraset Promarkers though I find Letraset Promarker sets much cheaper than Prismacolor and Copic Marker sets.

[r0ckrabbi7]

Faber Castell has a series of markers... "Pitt Artist Pens" or something similar. I had the opportunity to try them out the last weekend... They work pretty much like copics, blend well together with copics too and my only issue with them is that they have smaller tips than copics, but the colors look nice and the price seems way cheaper for a pack than what copics offer. I don't think they have a large color selection tho, so there's also that... I do plan on grabbing a pack and mixing them with my copics. In general I tend to buy 1-2 markers a month, instead of a whole set, because the price really is a bit high :c

[AndrewSutton]

switch to digital

[jamarisramos2]

Well I fell like Copic is your best choice because you can refill your markers. Now I know they are pretty pricey but I use this App/Website that can get you cheap copics in 2 weeks. Link: https://www.wish.com/c/5774d3299353777835bfe7e8?hide_login_modal=true&from_ad=pla1&gclid=CjwKEAiAmdXBBRD0hZCVkYHTl20SJACWsZj9x9fuii9SEwnQX_9b0gRbFqF4fdEiuPB2pW4hIwLkdBoCwKDw_wcB
It is Wish you can download it on your phone too! The copics are $8 for a full set! I use Wish for almost everything I get too. The sets are the Copic Sketch and Copic Ciao full. I hope this helps and it can save you money. Im asking this for Christmas and hoping im getting it.

[jochaangan28]

Alternative? hmmmm. Well a friend of mine shared this link -- https://www.facebook.com/originibiz/photos/a.287721174910431.1073741828.176263542722862/365182063831008/?type=3&theater --
on FB a couple of days ago and I'm lucky that I clicked it since these pens are still on SALE. Good thing I got these for myself and as a gift for a fellow artist coz these pens are ridiculously affordable but looks pretty great on my sketches. I'm surprised how it's quality turns out. The ink does not blot and there's a lot of colors to pick from. No issues whatsoever. What's crazy is that I compared its quality with the tech-pens and the other fancy pens that I have and to my surprise there's really not much a difference. I just wish though that the company that made these would make more pens in the future. I give Pen-Art a full thumbs up!

https://www.facebook.com/originibiz/photos/a.287721174910431.1073741828.176263542722862/365182063831008/?type=3&theater

[lorenatzilla]

Well...Copic markers are really good. I purchased Copic Ciao because they're cheaper and work really good too. I'm not sure about other brands.

[Silerna]

I use Spectrum Noir markers , Pro markers and Tria markers. I actually like them more then copics. The Spectrum Noirs have almost the same quality as copics and are much cheaper.

[ColorGaia]

As many have mentioned, there are a lot of cheaper alternatives. However, Copics do a lot of things very well, whereas most of the cheaper options do one or two things well but fall behind in other areas.

Like most people have said, the Prismacolor markers are a pretty solid choice if you want Copics but don't have the budget. I think the biggest shortfall for them are the nibs; they just don't have the same feel and nowhere near the same variety. The one thing the Copic Classics have going for them is the sheer amount of different nibs you can plug into those things.

If you're looking to use these markers for blending, another option are the Chameleon ColorTone pens. They are cheaper than Copics and specifically designed for blending.

We recently put together a huge interactive comparison guide on all the different types of Copics on our website. Down at the bottom you will find a section devoted to Copic alternatives:

http://colorgaia.com/copic-markers-depth-review-comparison/

[403050]

how much are the markers though

[Silerna]

Depends on the store. I bought the packs with 24 markers for €22, packs with 6 markers for €7 and single ones for €1. Single copics are €4-5 per marker.

[KiabIce]

Ohuhu markers? On Amazon

[Mira_Astralis]

I use ohuhus too! And they just came out with some with brush tips!

[TheLastMan]

I would say to go with Ohuhu Markers. I have some and they work like a charm - almost as good as Copic, in my opinion. They range from pretty cheap, like $35 - $65. It all kind of depends on if you want a brush on your pen or a chisel nib. Oops - sorry, I just realized that a ton of people have said Ohuhu.

[loardeva]

To find an alternative of Copic you need to make sure that, what's makes 'Copic' so amazing?
Copic is alcohol-based we know, but its ink is refillable and nib also replaceable. At the same time, it provides a great blending option. Now you need to find which one is providing the same quality.
A few sets in the market like OhuOhu/Touch Twin provides the same quality as Copic. Also if you can use Prismacolor makers they provide the same color tone and great ink flow as I'm using it. Or you need to research further.

[NickRowler]

Not a direct alternative but the cheapest option is buying a clear/colorless alcohol-based maker and using it to blend watercolor pencils.

I always thought the whole point of Copic-like makers was to do watercolor like drawings while not having to deal with the set backs of watercolors, like warped paper. You could also just try your hand at doing straight up watercolors. I think the thing you have to look out for is making sure your paints are good quality.

[N1ghtm4r3]

thats what i use, and i do enjoy using my spectrum noir markers